Public Policy Advocacy Tools and Tactics
(Updated April, 2007)
Activating the Community/Grassroots Activism
 Voter recruitment
 Rallies/Sit-Ins/Encampments
 Letter-writing/Email-writing/postcard-writing campaigns
 Telephone campaign
 Community speak-outs, town meetings, and public hearings
 Petitions
 Create “action guide” for community members with suggestions of how to take action with
regard to an issue
 Website activism – interactive website to activate web users
 Educate people not only to protect themselves but to demand social change of
policymakers
 Initiate workplace activism
 Link researchers to grassroots activists in order to influence policymakers at both the
scientific/evidence-based and emotional levels
 Organize a conference; invite policymakers to be part of it so they learn too and hear from
conference participants
 Create a community council or committee in your local government that deals with sexual
violence prevention and intervention
 Form citizen action groups
 Create a phone bank and make calls to have people contact their legislators around a
particular piece of legislation or at election time
 Viral marketing: create message/s via Internet and encourage a high pass-along rate
 Create a Policy Taskforce in your community
Influencing and Working with Legislators
 Congressional education
 Congressional briefings
 Visits to legislators
 Visits to district offices of Senators and Congresspeople
 Invite legislators to site visits
 Lobbying Congress/state legislatures
 Legislator “ratings” about a particular issue
 White papers/position statements
 Candidate forums
 Create advisory or task forces and invite legislators to participate in some capacity
 Panel discussions with legislators and community members who have been affected by
the issue
 Legislator “survey” or questionnaire about a particular issue – publish responses with
verbatim quotes; set up meetings with legislators once you have their responses to
discuss them
 Campaigning for candidates that support your issue
© 2007 Alisa Klein Consulting
alisaklein@yahoo.com
 Organize a conference; invite policymakers to be part of it so they learn too and hear from
conference participants
 Have survivors speak to legislators – authentic voices make a difference, have emotional
impact and sway
 Create weekend “think tank” – invite policymakers
 Have your organization or a coalition of organizations write a resolution and send it to
your legislators with a recommendation to join the commitment
 Initiate the writing of a new piece of legislation; conduct legislative hearings/briefings
 Provide testimony at a legislative hearing
 Invite legislators to present at your press conference or briefing
 Find key staffer within legislators’ offices
 Establish and extend yourself as the expert on your issues to be consulted by legislators
and their staffers
 Be a “squeaky” but polite, respectful, respectable, expert “wheel”
Research
 Research projects
 Fundraising to carry out research
 Analysis and explication of implications of proposed legislation
 Evaluative research of legislation that is in place
 Link researchers to grassroots activists in order to influence policymakers at both the
scientific/evidence-based and emotional levels
 Cost-benefit analyses
Media Work
 Write op-eds and letters to editor
 Radio and televisions programs and interviews
 Community cable stations/Low-power FM radio shows/Guerilla radio stations
 Legislator “survey” or questionnaire about a particular issue – publish responses with
verbatim quotes; set up meetings with legislators to discuss their responses
 Train and educate journalists and other members of the media
 Reframe for the media
 Offer educated guests to talk shows
 Help create storylines for daytime soaps and evening drama shows
 Establish your credibility: let media sources and legislators/legislative bodies know that
you are the people to talk to when they’re discussing issues pertaining to sexual abuse
Working in Coalition
 Coalition building
 Recruit community groups
 Work transdisciplinarily
 Create a Policy Taskforce in your organization/with other organizations, or in your
community
 Have your organization or a coalition of organizations write a resolution and send it to
your legislators with a recommendation to join the commitment
© 2007 Alisa Klein Consulting
alisaklein@yahoo.com